Landing: Starting a conversation with strangers

Activity: "Silly Scenarios" – 10-15 minutes

Objective:

Students will practice initiating conversations with strangers in silly, unexpected scenarios to build confidence, adaptability, and creativity while keeping the atmosphere fun.

Materials:

• A timer or stopwatch
• A list of silly scenarios (prepared ahead of time)

Instructions:

1. Introduction (2 minutes) Explain to the students that in this activity, they’ll practice starting conversations using some outlandish, silly scenarios. The goal is to use their skills of curiosity, kindness, and adaptability in more lighthearted situations—perfect for breaking the ice with a stranger! “The better we get at starting conversations in ridiculous scenarios, the more confident and natural we’ll feel when talking to people in everyday situations.”
2. Scenario Generation (1-2 minutes) Quickly ask the group for some outlandish and fun ideas for scenarios where someone might need to initiate a conversation with a stranger. Some examples might include:
   • "You’re in line at a coffee shop, and you’re both waiting for the last donut. What do you say?"
   • "You’re on an elevator with someone wearing a superhero costume. What’s your opening line?"
   • "You’re both stuck in a room with no windows and only one door. You have 60 seconds to start a conversation to escape. What do you say?"
   • "You’re at a party where everyone’s only speaking in rhymes. How do you start a conversation?"
   • "You see someone wearing socks that don’t match. What’s your icebreaker?"
3. The Main Activity: Role-Playing (7-10 minutes) Pair up the learners. Assign each pair one of the silly scenarios or have them choose one from the list. Each pair will have 2 minutes to role-play starting a conversation in that context. One person will initiate the conversation, and the other will respond as if they’re a stranger. After 2 minutes, the roles switch.

Example scenario in action:

• Scenario: You’re at a party where everyone’s speaking in rhymes.
• Student A (initiating): “I’m here to speak, and here to rhyme, What’s a good word that makes you shine?”
• Student B (responding): “A rhyme I hear, a rhyme I see, I wonder if you like tea!”

Encourage students to use their creativity and keep things light. They should focus on sounding genuine, even if the scenario is funny or absurd.

1. Group Reflection (3-5 minutes) Once everyone has completed a few role-playing rounds, bring the group back together. Ask the following reflection questions:
   • “What made starting a conversation easier in these silly scenarios?”
   • “Which scenario felt the most awkward, and how did you handle it?”
   • “How can these same skills help you when meeting someone new in real life?”
   • “What did you learn about adapting to unexpected situations while starting a conversation?”
2. Closing (1-2 minutes) Finish the activity by reminding the group that the ability to start a conversation, no matter the situation, comes from being curious, open, and confident in your approach. Say something like:
   • “It’s important to practice starting conversations in a variety of settings. The more fun and strange situations we try, the better we get at handling them with ease. Who knows? Maybe the next time you’re stuck in an elevator with someone wearing a superhero costume, you’ll know exactly what to say!”